# Animals in Esperanto: cat, dog, horse and more

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/phrases/animals/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-08

> Cat is kato, dog hundo, horse ĉevalo. Animal names in Esperanto with pronunciation, plus -id- for babies, -in- for females and animal sounds.

The Esperanto word for animal is ***besto***. A cat is ***kato***, a dog ***hundo***, a horse ***ĉevalo***, a bird ***birdo*** and a fish ***fiŝo***. Animal names are ordinary nouns ending in *-o*, so they take *-j* in the plural (*katoj* "cats") and *-n* as the object (*Mi havas katon* "I have a cat"). Word parts then give the baby (*-id-*), the female (*-in-*) and the male (*vir-*). Pronunciation guides split words into syllables, with the stressed syllable in capitals; the [stress](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/alphabet/) always falls on the second-to-last syllable.

## General words

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| animal | *besto* | BES-to |
| pet | *dorlotbesto*, *hejmbesto* | dor-lot-BES-to, hejm-BES-to |
| farm animal, domestic animal | *dombesto* | dom-BES-to |
| wild animal | *sovaĝa besto* | so-VA-ĝa BES-to |
| mammal | *mamulo* | ma-MU-lo |
| bird, fish, insect | *birdo, fiŝo, insekto* | BIR-do, FI-ŝo, in-SEK-to |

*Besto* normally means an animal other than a human; the dictionary ReVo adds a second sense that includes humans, which is also what *animalo* means. For an animal the usual pronoun is *ĝi* "it" (see [pronouns](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/pronouns/)): *Mia hundo estas malgranda, sed ĝi bojas laŭte.* – "My dog is small, but it barks loudly."

## Pets and farm animals

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| dog | *hundo* | HUN-do |
| cat | *kato* | KA-to |
| rabbit | *kuniklo* | ku-NI-klo |
| hamster | *hamstro* | HAMS-tro |
| parrot | *papago* | pa-PA-go |
| mouse, rat | *muso, rato* | MU-so, RA-to |
| horse | *ĉevalo* | ĉe-VA-lo |
| donkey | *azeno* | a-ZE-no |
| cow | *bovino* | bo-VI-no |
| sheep | *ŝafo* | ŜA-fo |
| goat | *kapro* | KA-pro |
| pig | *porko* | POR-ko |
| chicken | *koko* | KO-ko |
| duck | *anaso* | a-NA-so |
| goose | *ansero* | an-SE-ro |
| turkey | *meleagro* | me-le-A-gro |

The word *dombesto* also covers farm animals; ReVo's examples are cows, donkeys, pigs and chickens. Why a cow is *bovino* is explained in the section on cattle below.

## Wild animals

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| lion | *leono* | le-O-no |
| tiger | *tigro* | TI-gro |
| elephant | *elefanto* | e-le-FAN-to |
| bear | *urso* | UR-so |
| wolf | *lupo* | LU-po |
| fox | *vulpo* | VUL-po |
| deer | *cervo* | CER-vo |
| hare | *leporo* | le-PO-ro |
| wild boar | *apro* | A-pro |
| monkey, ape | *simio* | si-MI-o |
| giraffe | *ĝirafo* | ĝi-RA-fo |
| kangaroo | *kanguruo* | kan-gu-RU-o |
| bat | *vesperto* | ves-PER-to |
| snake | *serpento* | ser-PEN-to |
| frog | *rano* | RA-no |
| crocodile | *krokodilo* | kro-ko-DI-lo |
| tortoise, turtle | *testudo* | tes-TU-do |

Where English has two words, Esperanto sometimes has one: *simio* covers monkeys and apes, and *testudo* tortoises and turtles. Rabbit and hare stay apart: *kuniklo* and *leporo*. *Apro* is a wild boar; a male farm pig is *virporko*.

## Birds

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| eagle | *aglo* | A-glo |
| owl | *strigo* | STRI-go |
| crow, raven | *korvo* | KOR-vo |
| sparrow | *pasero* | pa-SE-ro |
| pigeon, dove | *kolombo* | ko-LOM-bo |
| swan | *cigno* | CIG-no |
| penguin | *pingveno* | ping-VE-no |
| cuckoo | *kukolo* | ku-KO-lo |
| magpie | *pigo* | PI-go |

Watch the look-alikes: *pigo* is a magpie, not a pig (*porko*), and a cuckoo is *kukolo*, not *kuko* "cake". *Korvo* covers crows and ravens (ReVo: the genus *Corvus*); the hooded crow is *korniko*.

## Sea animals, fish and insects

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| shark | *ŝarko* | ŜAR-ko |
| salmon | *salmo* | SAL-mo |
| whale | *baleno* | ba-LE-no |
| dolphin | *delfeno* | del-FE-no |
| seal | *foko* | FO-ko |
| octopus | *polpo* | POL-po |
| crab | *krabo* | KRA-bo |
| crayfish | *kankro* | KAN-kro |
| bee | *abelo* | a-BE-lo |
| ant | *formiko* | for-MI-ko |
| butterfly | *papilio* | pa-pi-LI-o |
| fly | *muŝo* | MU-ŝo |
| mosquito | *kulo* | KU-lo |
| spider | *araneo* | a-ra-NE-o |
| snail | *heliko* | he-LI-ko |

*Kankro* is a crayfish, not a crab. Look any other animal up in the [dictionary](https://esperantopedia.org/dictionary/). Colour adjectives work as usual (see [colours](https://esperantopedia.org/phrases/colors/)): *nigraj katoj* "black cats".

## Cow, bull, ox and calf

*Bovo* is the species, cattle, and *bovino* is the female *bovo*: a cow. It does not mean "bovine"; the adjective "of cattle" is *bova*. ReVo cites the Fundamento's dictionary, the *Universala Vortaro*, as the source of both *bovino* and *bovido* "calf".

| English | Esperanto | Pronunciation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| cattle (the animal) | *bovo* | BO-vo | The plural *bovoj* means cattle of both sexes |
| cow | *bovino* | bo-VI-no | *bov-* + *-in-*, "female" |
| bull | *virbovo* | vir-BO-vo | *vir-* + *bovo*. ReVo marks *taŭro* as rare |
| ox | *okso* | OK-so | A castrated bull |
| calf | *bovido* | bo-VI-do | *bov-* + *-id-*, "young" |
| beef | *bovaĵo* | bo-VA-ĵo | Meat of a *bovo* |
| cowshed | *bovejo* | bo-VE-jo | *bov-* + *-ej-*, "place" |

Traditionally people add *-in-* whenever they mean a female, so *bovo* beside *bovino* can sound like "bull". PMEG describes the same habit for *koko* and *kokino*. The plural still includes both sexes, and a growing number of speakers no longer add *-in-* automatically. Both ways are correct.

## Babies, females and males

Animal roots are sex-neutral: *kato* can be any cat. Three tools say more.

| Animal | Young (*-id-*) | Female (*-in-*) | Male (*vir-*) |
|---|---|---|---|
| *hundo* dog | *hundido* puppy | *hundino* bitch | *virhundo* |
| *kato* cat | *katido* kitten | *katino* female cat | *virkato* tomcat |
| *ĉevalo* horse | *ĉevalido* foal | *ĉevalino* mare | *virĉevalo* stallion |
| *ŝafo* sheep | *ŝafido* lamb | *ŝafino* ewe | *virŝafo* ram |
| *kapro* goat | *kaprido* kid | *kaprino* nanny goat | *virkapro* billy goat |
| *porko* pig | *porkido* piglet | *porkino* sow | *virporko* boar |
| *koko* chicken | *kokido* chick | *kokino* hen | *virkoko* rooster |
| *bovo* cattle | *bovido* calf | *bovino* cow | *virbovo* bull |

**-id-** marks the young of an animal (PMEG). **-in-** makes a female. Both can stand alone as roots: *ido* is "a young animal" and *ino* "a female". The stress moves with them: *KA-to* → *ka-TI-do*, *ka-TI-no*, but *vir-KA-to*.

**Vir-** is not an official prefix, and it is not on PMEG's list of 29 unofficial ones. It is the root *viro* "man" placed in front of another root, as in any compound. You can also use the adjective: *vira kato*. A few roots already mean a male animal: *boko* "buck", *stalono* "stallion", *kapono* "capon", *okso* and *taŭro* (PMEG). Some speakers use the unofficial suffix *-iĉ-*, as in *katiĉo*; PMEG calls it the most popular such proposal, though most still use *vir-*. More on [prefixes](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/prefixes/) and [suffixes](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/suffixes/).

## Places, groups and meat

Other suffixes work well with animals; see [word building](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/word-building/) for the system.

| Word part | Meaning | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| *-ej-* | place for | *ĉevalejo* "horse stable", *kokejo* "henhouse", *hundejo* "kennel", *porkejo* "pigsty" |
| *-ar-* | group | *ŝafaro* "flock of sheep", *bovaro* "herd of cattle", *birdaro* "flock of birds", *abelaro* "colony of bees", *bestaro* "fauna" |
| *-aĉ-* | poor quality, contempt | *ĉevalaĉo* "nag", *hundaĉo* "cur" |
| *-et-* | smaller | *ĉevaleto* "small horse" |
| *-aĵ-* | meat | *porkaĵo* "pork", *bovaĵo* "beef" |

The separate word *grego* means any herd or flock: *grego da ŝafoj* "a flock of sheep". *-Aĉ-* expresses contempt, so use it with care.

## Animal sounds

The general verb for an animal's cry is ***bleki***: *La ŝafoj blekas.* – "The sheep bleat." Many animals also have a verb of their own. ReVo notes the pattern animal + *-e* + *bleki*, such as *bove bleki* "to moo" and *porke bleki* "to grunt".

| Animal | Verb | Pronunciation | Sound word |
|---|---|---|---|
| dog | *boji* "bark" | BO-ji | *boj!* |
| cat | *miaŭi* "meow", *ronroni* "purr" | mi-AŬ-i, ron-RO-ni | *miaŭ!* |
| cow, lion | *muĝi* "low, roar" | MU-ĝi | *mu!* |
| horse | *heni* "neigh" | HE-ni | |
| donkey | *iai* "bray" | i-A-i | *ia!* |
| sheep | *bleki* "bleat" | BLE-ki | *be!* |
| pig | *grunti* "grunt" | GRUN-ti | *grunt!* |
| rooster | *kokeriki* "crow" | ko-ke-RI-ki | *kikeriki!* |
| hen | *kluki* "cluck" | KLU-ki | *kluk kluk!* |
| duck, goose | *gaki* "quack, cackle" | GA-ki | *gik gak!* |
| frog | *kvaki* "croak" | KVA-ki | *kvak!* |
| chick, small bird | *pepi* "peep" | PE-pi | *kvivit!* |
| owl | *ululi* "hoot" | u-LU-li | *hu hu!* |
| bee, fly | *zumi* "buzz" | ZU-mi | |

PMEG calls sound words the wildest part of any language, so spellings vary. It lists *glu glu glu* for a turkey.

## Animals in sentences

| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| *Ĉu vi havas dorlotbeston?* | Do you have a pet? |
| *Mi havas du katojn kaj unu hundon.* | I have two cats and one dog. |
| *Nia kato havas kvar katidojn.* | Our cat has four kittens. |
| *La bovinoj manĝas herbon sur la kampo.* | The cows are eating grass in the field. |
| *Kiun beston vi plej ŝatas?* | Which animal do you like best? |
| *Mi vidis elefanton en la zoo.* | I saw an elephant at the zoo. |

Notice the object ending *-n* (*katojn*, *beston*) and the plural *-j*. See [nouns and adjectives](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/nouns-adjectives/).

## Common questions

### How do you say "cat" in Esperanto?

*Kato* (KA-to). A kitten is *katido*, a female cat *katino*, and the plural is *katoj*. *Mi havas katon.* – "I have a cat."

### How do you say "dog" in Esperanto?

*Hundo* (HUN-do). A puppy is *hundido*, a female dog *hundino*, and to bark is *boji*. *Mia hundo bojas.* – "My dog is barking."

### What is the Esperanto word for "animal"?

*Besto*, plural *bestoj*. *Animalo* also exists and includes humans. A pet is a *dorlotbesto*.

### What is "cow" in Esperanto?

*Bovino*, the female of *bovo* "cattle". It is not the word for "bovine", which is *bova*. A bull is *virbovo* and a calf *bovido*.

### How do you name a baby animal in Esperanto?

Add *-id-*: *hundo* → *hundido* "puppy", *bovo* → *bovido* "calf". The stress moves to the *-id-* syllable.

### What sounds do animals make in Esperanto?

Dogs *bojas*, cats *miaŭas*, horses *henas*, sheep *blekas* and pigs *gruntas*. The general verb is *bleki*.

## Sources

- [ReVo: besto](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/best.html), [kato](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kat.html), [hundo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/hund.html), [ĉevalo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/cxeval.html), [ŝafo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/sxaf.html), [kapro](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kapr.html), [porko](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/pork.html), [koko](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kok.html)
- [ReVo: bovo, bovino, bovido, virbovo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/bov.html), [taŭro](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/tauxr.html)
- ReVo: [simio](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/simi.html), [korvo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/korv.html), [leporo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/lepor.html), [kuniklo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kunikl.html), [apro](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/apr.html), [kukolo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kukol.html), [kankro](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kankr.html)
- ReVo, animal sounds: [bleki](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/blek.html), [boji](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/boj.html), [miaŭi](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/miaux.html), [muĝi](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/mugx.html), [mu](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/mu.html), [heni](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/hen.html), [iai](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/ia1.html), [grunti](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/grunt.html), [kokeriki](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kokeri.html), [gaki](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/gak.html), [ululi](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/ulul.html), [kluki](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kluk.html), [kvaki](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/kvak.html), [pepi](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/pep.html), [zumi](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/zum.html), [ronroni](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/ronron.html)
- ReVo ([mamulo](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/mam.html), [hamstro](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/hamstr.html), [meleagro](https://reta-vortaro.de/revo/art/meleag.html)) and English Wiktionary for the other animal names
- [PMEG – Seksa signifo de O-vortoj](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/o-vortoj/seksa_signifo.html)
- PMEG suffixes: [ID](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/id.html), [IN](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/in.html), [EJ](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/ej.html), [AR](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/ar.html), [AĈ](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/afiksoj/sufiksoj/ach.html), [unofficial IĈ](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/neoficialaj_afiksoj/sufiksoj/ich.html)
- PMEG: [unofficial prefixes](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/vortfarado/neoficialaj_afiksoj/prefiksoj/index.html), [personal pronouns](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/pronomoj/personaj.html), [sound words](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/ekkrioj_sonimitoj/neoficialaj_ekkrioj.html)
- [Universala Vortaro (Fundamento)](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/universala_vortaro.html)
- [Wiktionary: bovejo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bovejo)